In Scripture, dreams and visions aren’t fantasy—they are God breaking into history to reveal Himself and His plans. They can feel mysterious, even otherworldly, yet they always have a purpose. Hebrews tells us that God has spoken in many ways (Heb 1:1). Sometimes God speaks directly, giving clear commands, instructions, and information. Other times He communicates through parables, symbols, or figures of speech. And then there are moments when He reveals His truth through dreams and visions. These moments can seem confusing, but Scripture shows us they are meant to communicate a clear message from God.
A dream is an experience of images, thoughts, or encounters that occurs while a person is asleep. Most dreams are simply our minds weaving ideas, events, and memories into a kind of “movie” during sleep—they are entirely our own creation. Even daydreams are similar: the mind wandering and forming scenarios, only while awake. But that’s not what we’re talking about here.
Biblical dreams are different—they are dreams in which God impresses His message on a person. Think of Joseph in Genesis 37, Solomon in 1 Kings 3:5, or Joseph, the husband of Mary, in Matthew 1:20, 2:13, and 2:19. These dreams are often symbolic and may require interpretation, like Pharaoh’s dreams in Genesis 41. Other times, they are direct, with God or an angel speaking plainly, such as with Joseph in Matthew.
Visions on the other hand occur when a person is awake, though often in a trance-like state. A “trance-like” state is an altered awareness in which attention becomes deeply absorbed, and the ordinary surroundings fade into the background. It is not full unconsciousness, like sleep, but it is also not ordinary wakefulness. A vision is a supernatural seeing of reality beyond ordinary perception. Examples include Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne (Is 6), Ezekiel’s visions of the glory of God and the new temple (Ez 1, 40–48), Daniel’s apocalyptic visions (Dan 7–12), and John’s visions in Revelation.
Visions are typically visual and captivating. The person “sees” heavenly realities, symbols, events, and can include dialogues with angels or God Himself. They are often given for prophetic revelation to be shared with others, not just for personal guidance. For the one receiving the visions it may feel like being “transported” (Ez 8:3, Rev 4:2). The act of “seeing” in a vision raises important questions. Is what is being “seen” real? What does it mean for something to be real? Is it really seeing or just imagining?
Both dreams and visions are private experiences. No one else shared Joseph’s dream with him, and someone in the same room would have no awareness of it. Likewise, when Peter saw the sheet lowered in Acts 10, those nearby would not have seen it. These were personal communications from God.
Peter’s experience helps illustrate the concept. Was it real? Yes and no—depending on how we characterize “real.”
- Real as experience: Yes, Peter truly had the encounter. This was not a daydream or wild imagination. God impressed the vision and its truths on Peter’s mind through images and dialogue.
- Real as physical fact: No, the sheet itself was not physically present; it existed in the vision, not the actual world. A vision is something more than imagination, yet less than reality—it is impressed on the mind by God.
So Peter’s vision was real in the sense that he truly experienced something beyond his own imagination. But it was not real in the sense that anyone else at the time could have experienced it with him.
Another step in understanding the “real” of a dream or vision is to understand that most elements of a dream or vision do not point to themselves but to the reality they represent.
Consider John’s vision of Christ in Revelation. Did he see Jesus in His unveiled, true form, or did God impress a symbolic picture of Christ onto John’s mind? The key to apocalyptic visions is to recognize that the images are not the reality itself, but symbolic representations of the reality.
For example, Revelation 1:16 says, “From his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword.” Jesus does not literally walk around with a sword protruding from His mouth. The image communicates the power and authority of His words. John’s experience was completely real—he truly encountered Christ—but what he saw was a symbolic portrayal of Christ’s character and attributes, not a literal physical appearance.
These are not easy concepts, and reading this a few times may help these truths sink in. When studying apocalyptic passages in Ezekiel, Daniel, or Revelation, the key question is not whether the details of a vision are literal, but what they mean. God communicates through vivid, symbolic pictures, and our task is to grasp the message behind them.
Until next time here at CultivatingFaith.org, God bless! #CultivatingFaithOrg